Let's play a game
by ElectricSiren6
Summary: "I could date anyone in this school if I wanted." Joey paused for a moment. Seto could practically hear the rusty gears in his head turning. After a moment his amber eyes lit up with a mischievous glint-almost as if the mutt had had an idea. "Oh really? Wanna put dat to da test?"
1. Chapter 1

**Author's notes:** I'm absolutely terrible at writing longer stories, but I want to give it a go because I feel like there aren't enough long, fluffy stories for this ship! I hope I can finish it, and I hope you all enjoy! :D

 **Pairings:** Puppy/Violetshipping (Seto x Joey), mention of Heartshipping (Yugi x Ryou), Coinshipping (Miho x Tea), Chaseshipping (Tristan x Duke), and possible others idk?

 **Disclaimer:** I DO NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh!, though it probably be pretty much the same if I did- just with a little more romance and maybe more friendship if that's even possible?

* * *

Seto Kaiba let out a quiet sigh. He despised each and every one of his insufferable classmates. The rambunctious lot were all talking loudly with their friends about whatever inane shit it was other teens cared about. Seto found them all immature and obnoxious-especially the girls-and boys for that matter- who'd confessed to him before. Their shallow and meaningless feelings made Seto sick. Not one of them had ever tried speaking to him or befriending him before their confession, which had led Seto to his conclusion that none of them truly liked him, they just liked his money and good-looks. As if on cue, he caught a few girls looking his way. They were giggling, and two of them were trying to push a third girl in Seto's direction. He rolled his eyes. "Shallow hags." He muttered, throwing a hostile glare in the girls' direction. They froze in their tracks, the two who had previously been pushing began to pull the third girl away. Seto smirked to himself. If they could be deterred that easily then their feelings truly were nothing.

Seto noticed with annoyance that the teacher still hadn't turned up, which meant more time for his classmates to shout and roughhouse. He pulled a large hard-backed book from his bag, intending to read it to pass the time, though it seemed his most infuriating and least favorite classmate had other ideas.

Said classmate let out a low whistle. "Dat's a big ass book."

"What an astute observation." Seto responded dismissively.

"No 'mutt'? No 'third-rate duelist'?"

"Would you _like_ me to verbally eviscerate you?" Seto asked, raising an eyebrow at the blonde.

"Nah, I just thought ya'd do somethin' interestin' if I came ova here. I'm boooored."

"Go talk to your friends." Seto spat.

"I uhh can't do dat right now."

"And why is that?"

The mutt pointed towards the other side of the room, where his friends were sitting. They were sitting in pairs-no couples, flirting up a storm. Ryou and Yugi were talking quietly, cheeks stained scarlet. Duke was leaning over Tristan's chair, whispering something in the blushing brunettes ear. Tea was playing with Miho's hair, which seemed platonic enough,that is, if you couldn't see their intertwined fingers under the desk.

Seto bit back a laugh at Joey's admittedly reasonable motive for avoiding his friends. "I see. How did you come to be the only single amongst the geek squad?"

"I dunno ova da past year everyone just started clickin' and pairin' up and now it's just me," He shrugged. "What about you? How da hell are ya still single?"

"I'm single because I want to be."

"Riiight." Joey said sarcastically.

"I could date anyone in this school if I wanted."

Joey paused for a moment. Seto could practically hear the rusty gears in his head turning. After a moment his amber eyes lit up with a mischievous glint-almost as if the mutt had had an idea. "Oh really? Wanna put dat to da test?"

Seto raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What are you suggesting?"

"If you can make me wanna date ya by...da end of da year, ya win."

"Hmm sounds like some kind of twisted ploy to befriend me." Seto said, feigning disinterest.

"Oh well," Joey shrugged. "I guess I ovaestimated how competitive ya are, but it's fine if ya aren't up ta da challenge."

Something in Seto's gut twisted at the insinuation that he was backing down. "I'm not saying I won't accept the challenge. I was merely making an observation," Seto smirked. "Prepare to lose, Wheeler."

As soon as the words left his mouth he felt a pang of regret. This little challenge would mean spending way more time with the mutt than he wanted to.

"Yeah right! I barely even wanna be talkin' to ya right now, what makes ya think I'll wanna date ya by da end of da year?"

"You're quick to trust, easy to befriend, and even easier to impress. A few well-placed gestures and I think I can have you swooning over me in much _less_ than a year."

"If ya think it's gonna be dat easy than how about we make dis even harder!"

"Go on."

"What if da challenge went both ways? Both of us try ta seduce the otha, first one ta fall in love is da loser!"

Seto's felt himself almost smile at that. A true game. A game with two players both battling it out to make the other fall. Seto felt a fire alight in himself-he would win this game, and he would have one hell of a good time doing it. "Interesting concept, but I think our little game could use a few rules."

"Like what?"

"First, no initiating physical contact that you know the other won't be comfortable with. Secondly, each of us should be required to invite the other out at least once a week-that way we can't avoid losing by not playing. Lastly, we won't speak of this to anyone but the other. Does that sound fair to you?"

"Sounds good ta me," Joey nodded. He extended a hand, purportedly for Seto to take in his own, therefore sealing the twisted deal. "Don't just sit there starin' at me man."

Seto reluctantly took the others hand, giving Joey a firm and professional handshake before making a big show out of wiping his hand off. He internely scolded himself for being so childish, but outwardly he was smirking at the blonde's annoyed facial expression.

"Wow you're incredible at dis whole seduction thing. I think I hate ya even more now if dat's even possible." Joey deadpanned.

Seto chuckled. "How about we get this started tonight? Mokuba is away this week on a school field trip, so I can have you over for dinner without him asking any questions."

His eyes went wide. "Ya wanna start dis tonight?"

"Yes? Is that a problem for you?"

"I guess not."

"Good. I'll pick you up at seven."

"Pick me up? I can walk dammit."

"It's not like you'll have many other chances to ride in a limo."

"On second thought...fuck yeah ya can pick me up."

A loud cough pulled the two from their conversation. "Language, Mr. Wheeler." Their teacher scolded.

Seto wasn't sure if he should kill or thank the woman for being so late. If she had been there he wouldn't have made that stupid bet, then again if he hadn't made that bet he wouldn't be looking forward to an evening of tormenting that substandard idiot who dared call himself a duelist.

* * *

Joey wasn't sure what to wear. If he were supposed to be seducing Kaiba, shouldn't he wear something nice...then again that might make it look like he was too interested...but would dressing in casual wear really be appropriate? What had he been thinking when he challenged Kaiba to this dumb game anyway?

"Maybe go with somethin' in between?" He muttered, pulling a semi-nice outfit from his cluttered closet. He held up the form-fitting black jeans, and loose black crop-top, trying to imagine how the outfit would look. The jeans would highlight some of his better assets while the shirt would show off his toned midriff as well as a good portion of his broad shoulders.

He changed quickly, unable to stop the smirk that tugged at his lips the moment he saw the outfit come together. "I almost feel bad for Kaiba...poor guy isn't used ta losin'."

He heard the doorbell ring just in time to see the clock shift from 6:59 to 7:00. Perfectly punctual-what else should he have been expecting from Kaiba?

On the way to the door Joey stopped to spritz himself with a bit of the cologne he saved for special occasions. He took a deep breath and flung the door open, expecting to be face to face-or face to chest really-with a cold-hearted snob-instead he found the reverse.

Yugi stood at Joey's chest even with the ridiculous amount of hair piled onto his little head. "Wow Joey! What are you all dressed up for?" Yugi's eyes sparkled with childlike curiosity.

"Well ya see Yugi-," Joey froze, remembering the oh-so-important rules of the game. ' _Lastly, we won't speak of this to anyone but the other._ ' "I'm...just meetin' up with a new friend of mine."

"Oh that's cool, Joey! I guess that means you're busy for the rest of tonight then?"

"Yeah, sorry Yug. Maybe we could hang tomorrow?"

"Sounds good, Joey! Text me what time when you figure it out!" Yugi said cheerfully, waving a quick goodbye before he disappeared down the street.

Joey breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed like Yugi hadn't suspected anything.

"For a moment there I was certain you were going to tell him," A low voice muttered just to Joey's left. He let out a surprised squeak, whipping around to face the person to whom the voice belonged. He found two cold, cerulean orbs staring back at him with a vaguely amused glint visible in their otherwise emotionless depths. "Mm. You look nicer than usual." He observed in a flat tone.

"Thanks…?"

Kaiba held out a hand as if silently asking Joey to hold it. Joey raised an eyebrow at the gesture, but slipped his hand into Kaiba's nonetheless. He felt a shiver run up his spine at the contact. He'd held hands with many of his friends before and his sister's too, but none of their hands were quite as slim, and for lack of better terms- elegant as Kaiba's. His fingers were long and slender, and topped with pointed, perfectly manicured nails. Every once in awhile Kaiba would inadvertently tighten his grip just a little too much and mark the back of Joey's hand, though the cool feeling of Kaiba's hand in his own was…surprisingly pleasant overall.

Joey stifled a gasp when he saw the inside of the limo. The interior was all posh black leather and bright white lights.

"Holy shit."

Kaiba smirked. "Not used to such fineries, are you mu-Joey?"

Joey didn't respond as he was too busy throwing himself across the seats, momentarily forgetting that his fingers were still interlocked with Kaiba's. The momentum from Joey's leap pulled Kaiba into the vehicle as well. Joey landed on the seats, whilst Kaiba's face made friends with the floor.

Joey chuckled. "Oh my god. Are ya okay?"

"I'm fine." Kaiba grumbled, pulling himself from the floor and taking a seat next to Joey. Joey sat up quickly, not wanting to look more like a child than he already did. He and Kaiba were sitting so close together, their shoulders and knees were touching. After a moment, Kaiba recaptured Joey's hand-this time stroking it in a way that could almost be described as affectionate. Joey felt a slow blush creep it's way up his neck.

"Losing already, are we?" Kaiba whispered into Joey's ear, his hot breath further igniting Joey's blush.

"Dat doesn't mean much...anyone would be blushin'." Joey squeaked.

"I wouldn't."

"How can ya be so sure of dat?"

"I'm not easily flustered."

Joey rolled his eyes. "No shit, you're practically a brick wall sometimes."

"Whatever."

Joey sensed that Kaiba's patience with him was running thin, so he took the liberty of shutting his mouth and enjoying the scenery instead. A mere minutes later, Kaiba's mansion came into view. The well-tended garden and white marble columns gave the place an air of regality, not unlike the one that surrounded Kaiba himself.

Kaiba stepped out of the vehicle first, dragging Joey along behind him like a troublesome child.

"Why's everythin' ya own gotta be so fuckin' extra," Joey asked, a teasing expression falling over his rugged features. "Are ya compensatin' for somethin?"

Kaiba scowled. "Penis jokes. How charming."

"Ooh did I hit a nerve?" Joey jabbed a finger into the brunette's side teasingly.

"No," Kaiba sighed. "You've just reminded me why I despise you so much in the first place."

"Dick jokes?"

"You're immaturity. It's infuriating," He let out an annoyed huff as his hand absentmindedly combed through his immaculate brown locks. "I'm beginning to wonder why I agreed to this stupid competition in the first place."

Joey rolled his eyes. Kaiba could be such a drama queen sometimes.

As they crossed the threshold, Joey couldn't help but openly gape at the expansive room before him. Every inch of the space was the same blindingly flawless white as the building had been on the outside. Joey could see his reflection perfectly in the white tile floor. He stuck out his tongue at the floor, giggling as his reflection did the same. When Joey looked back up he found Kaiba's intense gaze focused on him with a slightly bemused expression.

"What's with dat look?"

"You reminded me of my brother for a moment."

"I did?"

"He also likes to make ridiculous faces at himself in the tiles. Sometimes he'll slide around on them in socks too."

Joey took a moment to imagine the fun he could have sliding across the slippery tile floors. "Can we-"

" _You_ can after dinner if you'd like." Kaiba interrupted, pointing a slim finger in the direction of what appeared to be a dining room.

"I'm not a fuckin' dog, Kaiba. Ya can't just point somewhere an expect me ta go."

Kaiba's eyebrow twitched. "Don't you want food?"

"Yeah, of course, but I'm not gonna go unless ya ask nicely."

"Ask nicely? You're in my house, you'll be eating my food, and I'm going to let you slide your dirty feet all over my floor later! Why the hell should I have to ask nicely just for you to eat dinner with me." Kaiba said through clenched teeth.

"Dat's no way ta play da game, Kaiba! You're gonna lose if ya keep bein' mean ta me."

Kaiba's eyes widened at the word 'lose'. He sighed, regaining his composure. "Okay, care to join me for dinner," He paused, a dark look quickly passing through his cold eyes. "...darling?

"I'd love ta," Joey responded, linking his arm with Kaiba's. "But if ya call me darling again, I'll beat da shit outta ya."

Kaiba chuckled. "I wish I'd known that before I nearly choked on the word."

The dining room table was barely visible under the plethora of food platters neatly placed across its surface. Joey's mouth fell open, watering at the sight of so many delicious-looking dishes.

"Like what you see?" Kaiba teased. He pulled out a chair for Joey, and went around to the other side of the table, taking the seat directly across from the other.

"I've neva seen so much food in one place." Joey whispered in awe as he began grabbing one of everything in reach. Kaiba made no move to grab anything. He merely watched Joey ravage the dishes like some sort of starved madman.

"I had a feeling the best way to your heart was through your stomach."

"Nice try, but I'm not gonna be fallin' all ova ya because of food-no matta how good it is!"

"Are you sure about that? You haven't even seen the dessert yet."

"Dere's dessert too?" Joey whispered, tears of joy springing from his amber eyes.

"You really are quite easy to impress."

"Is dat a bad thing?"

"No. It's a good thing."

Joey's mouth fell open. Bits of food came tumbling out. "W-was dat a compliment?"

"Perhaps."

"First time for everythin' I guess…"

"I told you earlier that you look nice. Does that not count as a compliment?"

"You said I look 'nicer than usual' which is almost an insult if ya think about it."

* * *

The mutt somehow managed to finish every plate of food placed near him whilst still making conversation. It might've been impressive if he hadn't also made a huge mess.

As soon as Joey finished scraping food off the last plate, he began to hastily remove his shoes.

"What are you doing?"

"Ya told me I could slide across ya floor, remember.

He had told him that, hadn't he? "Yes, I do. Don't hurt yourself or make any more of a mess than you already have."

"Don't ya wanna come with me?"

Seto sighed. His patience with the blonde had been tested a few too many times tonight. "Why would _I_ want to do something so childish?"

"I dunno. Ya really need ta lighten up though. You're gonna die young if ya keep tryin' ta act like an adult before you're even outta high school."

"Of all people to be giving me life advice, you're definitely the least qualified, Wheeler."

"Come on, just try ta have a lil fun?"

"Why should I?"

"Well ya got nothin' ta lose, an no reason not ta."

Seto reluctantly started pulling off his shoes. "Don't make me regret this."

Joey beamed back at him, completely missing-or perhaps ignoring- the annoyed tone behind Seto's words. The moment Seto's shoes were off, Joey was pulling him into the expansive, tiled front room.

"Watch dis!" The blonde shouted, taking a running start and sliding halfway across the room. As he slowed, his momentum caused him to fall into the floor face first.

"Nice one." Seto called out.

"I'd like ta see ya try!"

"Very well," Seto took off running, leaping into the air after he'd gained some momentum. When he hit the ground, he slid to a stop right next to Joey. "Need help?" He offered Joey a hand, which was taken with much reluctance.

"Why ya gotta be good at literally everythin'?"

"It's just a fun little thing that comes with being me."

Joey gave him an odd look. "I just thought a somethin'"

" _You_ thought of something?"

"Dis floor's probably great for dancin'"

"Do you even know how to dance?"

"Uhh Tea taught me how ta salsa?"

"That'll work." Seto pulled out his phone, hooking up the Bluetooth to the overhead stereo and selecting a salsa playlist.

"Faaancy."

Seto took the blonde teen's hands into his own. The dance began as an awkward mess as both teens struggled to find rhythm, but after a few minutes both had found their bearings and they were twirling around each other like they'd been dancing together their whole lives.

Seto laughed, surprising even himself with the light, carefree sound of it.

Joey dropped his hands abruptly, his wide eyes locking on Seto. "Was dat you?"

"I'm the only other person in here."

"Don't go all cold on me again, Kaiba! Not afta i've heard dat. Ta think you've been holdin' out on us did whole time..."

"'Holding out'?"

"Yeah! Hate ta break it ta ya man but ya laugh is adorable."

Seto felt a twinge of embarrassment and also a little bit of pride at that-had he been someone of weaker will he might've even blushed.

"It's getting a bit late…"

"Yeah I guess it is...I mean it's already like," Joey took a quick peek at his watch. "Midnight!? How's it already midnight? Oh my god we got school tomorrow!" Before Seto could respond, the boy had vanished, leaving behind a Joey-shaped cloud.

"What a dolt." Seto muttered to no one in particular.

* * *

Aaaand that's the end of the first chapter folks! Please review! :D

Writing Joey's accent is absolute hell ;~;

Also I don't know if I did that good of a job proofreading this...

EDIT: I KNEW I DID A BAD JOB PROOFREADING! HOW DID I MISS THE FACT THAT ALL THE ITALICS WERE DELETED?


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes:** The reviews you guys have left have been so sweet! I'm super thankful for all my readers and I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter (I'm posting it on my phone so it might be a bit messed up idk)

* * *

A few days after the night at Kaiba's mansion, the school was buzzing with gossip about Joey and Kaiba and the noticeable shift in the way they treated one another.

Joey tried not to care much about what they thought was going on, and some of their theories were pretty entertaining. The most popular theory was that Kaiba had finally snapped and killed Joey, and then replaced him with some sort of robot to cover his tracks. Joey might've purposefully fueled the fires of that theory for laughs.

At the moment Joey considered Kaiba and himself even in their game. The only major developments in the game had occurred that first night, meaning that Kaiba's one big achievement was getting Joey to blush, and Joey considered Kaiba's quick topic change after his laugh had been complimented a score for himself.

Joey opened his locker, preparing himself for the haphazardly stacked pile of books to come rushing out. He caught most of them with ease, placing them back in the locker and grabbing the ones he hadn't caught.

"Your expression is even more vacant than usual. What are you thinking about?" Joey felt the weight of a hand on his shoulder. He turned around, finding himself staring at the jawline of a smug brunette.

"None a ya business, rich boy."

"How boring," Kaiba yawned. He draped his arm over Joey's shoulder, lazily bringing him closer. "What do you think something like this will do to the rumors?"

"Don't we have a rule about keepin' this thing secret?" Joey's eyes flicked across the hallway, making sure no one was close enough to hear their conversation.

"No, the rule states that we can't speak about it with others. It doesn't matter what we do in front of others."

"People are goin' ta get da wrong idea!"

"Their ideas can't get more wrong than the things they've already been coming up with."

"But...people are goin' ta think we're actually datin' or somethin'."

"So? They're all nobodies anyway. Who cares what they think?"

Joey nodded. He couldn't help but admire Kaiba's self-confidence and dismissive attitude towards the opinions of others. It was something Joey wished he could have himself, but he'd always been a bit too aware of what others thought of him. "My friends though...what am I goin' ta tell dem when dey inevitably start askin' questions?"

"Tell them I've finally come around and accepted your friendship."

"I don't really think dey'll believe dat , but okay."

"Just make something up. You aren't a complete idiot, are you?"

"No...I'll figure somethin' out." Joey growled. The bell rang, and with its shrill sound came the mass chaos of students rushing to class. Joey tossed the last of the things he didn't need in his locker, and joined the exodus.

* * *

"'8 pm, Domino cliff," Seto read off the small piece of paper in his hands. "You even included a crudely drawn dog. Just when were you able to slip this into my locker, anyway?"

"Don't worry about dat. Mystery makes everthin' more romantic, right?" Joey said, his usual dopey smile growing into a huge grin. He took a huge bite from his lunch after he spoke-almost like some kind of pseudo mic-drop.

Seto snorted. "Hardly."

"Just be dere, okay?"

"Okay. Just what exactly are we going to be doing atop a cliff?"

"Dat's a surprise!"

"Ah yes, more mystery."

Joey flashed him a cheeky grin."Yep!"

Seto sighed. "Yippee."

Seto leaned back in his seat, balancing on the back two legs. He glanced around the lunchroom, catching sight of the geek squad's lunch table. He wondered what they thought about Joey sitting with him instead of them.

Seto nearly fell out of his seat when he noticed Yugi looking his way with a puzzled expression. Yugi's eyes flicked from Joey and back to Seto as if to say ' _What's going on with you two?'_

Seto shrugged in response. He wasn't sure what to tell Yugi or even if he could convey what he wanted to non-verbally.

A hand streaked across Seto's vision. "Hey Kaiba whatcha lookin' at?"

"Yugi is staring at us." Seto responded. He watched in annoyance as Yugi stood up.

Yugi crossed the lunchroom with purpose, his violet eyes still locked on Seto. He was upon them in seconds, flashing an odd smile at the even odder pair.

"Why in the world are you two sitting together?" Yugi asked, a look of confusion and curiosity crossing his small features.

Joey opened his mouth to respond, but before he could say anything, Seto had cut him off with a swift elbow to the gut. "We're friends now." Seto said cooly. He'd expected Yugi to suspect something was up-after all he was quite intelligent, but he just smiled dumbly at them.

"That's incredible! How did you do it, Joey? I mean I've been trying for years to talk this guy into hanging out with us, and oh my gosh you did this in what? A week!? I thought you didn't even like Kaiba!" Yugi rambled, starry-eyed. He was looking at Joey like he was some kind of superhero.

Seto sighed internally at Yugi's foolishness, not quite believing that the ignorant boy in front of him could possibly be the same boy that held the title 'King of Games'.

"Turns out he's a lot less of an ass than I thought." Joey said, throwing Seto a sly wink.

"This is so incredible," Yugi threw his little arms around Joey and Seto's waists, pulling them in for a hug. "I'm so proud of you guys!"

Seto pried Yugi's arm from his side, making a disgusted noise at the unwelcome physical contact. "For what?"

"Are you kidding? You two went from being at each other's throats all the time to being friends! How could I not be proud?" Yugi wiped a tear from his eyes.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Seto noticed the rest of the losers starting to get antsy. It looked as if they might all get up and rush over at any second.

In an attempt to avoid having to socialize with more of Joey's friends, Seto attempted to persuade Yugi to go. "How about you go back to your table and tell the rest of your friends all about how proud of us you are."

Seto's strained tone did not go unnoticed by the observant little high-schooler. Yugi followed Seto's gaze back to his own table, seeing his friends standing up, he took the hint and began to excuse himself. "...oh, you're right I should go do that!" Yugi exclaimed, skipping back towards his original table.

"He's a bit of an idiot, isn't he?"

"I don't think an idiot could beat ya at duel monstas, Kaib."

* * *

Joey whipped out his phone, ready to put his rather elaborate plans into motion. He dialed the number of one of his closest friends. The phone only rang once before he heard a feminine voice answer.

"Joey?"

"Hey Tea! I've got a huge fava ta ask, and...ya can't tell da guys about it."

"I'm listening."

"I need help buyin' and preparin' some stuff for somethin', but I don't have da money or skills ta do it myself."

"What's it for?" He could practically hear her eyebrow shift upwards slightly in a typical Tea fashion.

"Umm see here's da part ya really can't talk about. I'm goin' on a date with a girl from a different school tanight."

A high-pitched squeal came through the receiver, nearly making Joey drop the phone. "That's great, Joey! Of course I'll help you! There's a supermarket near my house, if you want we can meet there in half an hour!"

"Awesome. I'll be dere, but we're gonna have ta do da shoppin' quick 'cause I got some other stuff I'm gonna need ya help with."

"Got it! See you later!"

"See ya, Tea." Joey ended the call, an excited grin spreading across his face. The things he had planned were going to knock Kaiba's overpriced socks right off.

He rushed up the stairs to change into the outfit he had already prepared. It was an old suit that his dad had worn back when he was in high school, but it was still in incredible shape. It was a traditional black and white suit, which some people might've found boring. Joey just liked how classy it made him feel.

He slipped on the suit, marveling at how perfectly it fit. He went back down the stairs, hoping to get out the door before his father could ask any questions.

"Joey? Where're ya goin'?" He heard his father call from somewhere in the house.

Joey sighed. "I've got a date tanight, and Tea's helpin' me get ready for it."

"A date!" Joey heard his father's footsteps fast approaching. He came into view a moment later, his disheveled blonde hair hanging limply around his rugged features. Joey couldn't help but feel proud whenever he saw his father nowadays. He hadn't touched an alcoholic beverage in over a year, and he'd held down a decent job for about half of that time.

"Yeah…"

"Well, do I know da girl?"

"Nah, she goes ta a different school." Joey scratched his head awkwardly, avoiding his father's eyes. He felt bad lying to him.

His father squinted, looking him over with a scrutinizing gaze. "What's with da look? Are ya lyin' ta me, son?"

"N-no."

"Look whateva it is Joey, ya can tell me. Are ya not really goin' on a date?"

"No! I am."

Joey's father grinned slyly. "Oh I see. Da date is actually with Tea, isn't it?"

Joey coughed violently, feeling almost physically sick at the implication. "Oh god no!"

His father's eyes softened. "Joey...ya know ya can tell me if...if ya date's actually with a boy."

Joey choked. "W-what?"

"So dat is what's up? Ya know I'm not gonna judge ya for it."

"D-daaad," Joey whined. "Just don't worry about it, okay?"

"Okay Joey, whateva ya want, but just know dat ya can talk ta me about it if ya want." His father gave him a reassuring grin, resting a comforting hand on Joey's shoulder.

"Thanks dad."

His father nodded before finally turning to go back to his room. Joey watched him leave, struggling to stop the smile that was threatening to overtake his features. There was a time when he never would've guessed that underneath the raging alcoholic was a kind and understanding man.

Joey walked out the door, not even really sure where Tea's house was. He trusted his luck and impeccable ability to find it for him. After ten minutes he found that he was right to trust himself. Tea's house came into view along with a grand supermarket just to its right. Even from a distance Joey could make out a bright pink blob topped with brown standing in front of the markets sliding doors. He approached her with a hand raised in greeting.

"Tea! I'm here!" He called out. She looked up from her phone, her face glowing with a bright smile.

"Joey! I was beginning to think you weren't coming! I would've started shopping without you, but you never even told me what we were getting!" She rambled, moving her hands about wildly as she went on.

"Sorry, Just got a lil held up, but now dat I'm here," He took Tea's arm, pulling her through the sliding doors. "I need ya ta go get the stuff ta make food for a picnic. I'm gonna go look for a blanket, basket, and other shit like dat."

"A picnic!? Joey that's so sweet and romantic! This girl's going to be so amazed!" Tea exclaimed with a dreamy look. She gave Joey a quick salute before taking off towards the food aisles.

"Now ta get dat blanket…" Joey muttered to himself. He wasn't really sure where the stuff he was looking for would be kept, so he scanned the boards above the aisles for something relevant. One of the boards in the very back of the store was labeled 'Outdoors' in big letters, and one of the smaller captions was labeled 'picnic supplies'.

"Bingo."

In the picnic section, Joey found an entire pile of blankets, all adorned with various flowery patterns. Joey sighed, knowing that Kaiba wouldn't be all that impressed with something so regular. One of the blankets caught his eye, its white fabric standing out among the dark colors of the other blankets. Joey tugged it a bit, trying to dislodge it from the pile so he could get a better look at it. It slipped out with ease, revealing to him a white blanket covered in different illustrations of the blue-eyes white dragon.

Joey laughed. "This is perfect!" He folded the blanket into a neat square and tucked it underneath his arm.

On the other side of the aisle, Joey found a small number of neatly stacked baskets. He picked up a light yellow one. He supposed the look of the basket didn't matter so much, but he did like the pattern it had woven into it. He placed the folded blanket into the basket and left the aisle to find the rest of the things he wanted. On another aisle he picked up a large, clear flower vase. At the front of the store, he plucked a large bouquet of dark blue flowers from a cart and put them too into his basket.

"Joey!" A voice erupted from behind him. Tea was coming towards him with a shopping basket filled to the brim with food.

"Hey Tea. I got all da stuff I needed. Ya ready ta go?"

She nodded. The pair made their way towards the checkout with their baskets full of goodies. Tea gave Joey an odd look as the blue-eyes blanket was being scanned. Tea paid for the whole thing without complaint, which Joey was immensely grateful for.

At Tea's house they unloaded their shopping back, and started work preparing the food. Tea had purchased the supplies to make several different types of sandwiches, four different family sized bags of chips, and two boxes of chocolate chip cookies.

"Dis is way more dan enough food for two."

She rolled her eyes. "Not when one of those two is you."

Joey chuckled. "Good point."

About halfway through the preparation of the sandwiches, an idea smacked Joey across the head. "Hey Tea? Can we cut dese into da shape of blue-eyes?"

Tea's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "She really likes blue-eyes, doesn't she?"

"Uhhh yeah it's her favorite monsta."

"It's kinda ironic that someone you like would love the same monster as Kaiba." She joked.

"Ha. Yeah it is a lil ironic I guess."

"Maybe you should introduce her to Kaiba. She'd probably love that."

Joey couldn't help but laugh at that. If only Tea knew…

"What's so funny?"

"Nothin' don't worry about it."

After attempting to cut one of the sandwiches into a dragon shape, Joey decided to leave the job to Tea. Her dragons actually looked like...well dragons, whilst Joey's just looked like indistinguishable blobs.

"How're ya so good at dis?"

"Sometimes I make sandwiches for the kids at the orphanage. Thy really like it when they're cut in the shapes of duel monsters."

"Ive neva heard ya talk about dis before. When'd ya start doin' it?"

"About a month ago. I absolutely love helping out there. All of the kids are so adorable!"

"Dat's awesome. Could I come with sometime?"

"Of course! I could even teach you how to do the sandwiches. It takes quite a bit of practice…"

"A lil practice neva heard nobody! Count me in!"

"I'm going this Saturday if you'd like to join me." Tea offered.

"Fuck yeah!" Joey punched the air in excitement.

Tea's face went red. "Joey! Watch your language! My parents are here!" She whispered.

"Hehe sorry."

Tea held up a plastic baggie full of dragon-shaped sandwiches. "I finished! Now go get that girl!"

Joey glanced at the clock. It was seven. He had an hour to get to Domino cliff and set everything up

* * *

Seto arrived at Domino Cliff ten minutes before eight. The sun was setting over the city, its multicolored rays caught on the glass skyscrapers-the tallest of which being Kaiba Corp. At the top of the cliff, Seto found the person he'd been looking for sitting on-was that a blue-eyes white dragon blanket?

Seto chuckled. "Nice blanket, dweeb."

"Hey come on, I got dis for ya."

"Duh. I like it."

Joey smiled. "Come sit ya rich boy ass ova here."

Seto sat as indicated. "What's in the basket?"

Joey raised an eyebrow as if to say ' _I thought you were supposed to be smart_?' "Food."

Seto rolled his eyes. "What kind of food?"

Joey smirked triumphantly. "See for yaself."

Seto opened the basket-not quite sure what he was expecting, but it definitely was not a baggie of sandwiches cut into the shape of his favorite duel monster.

"How long did this take?" He asked, awe creeping into his voice.

"Well it took Tea about an hour. I wish I had da talent ta do it myself, but she said she'd teach me how ta do it sometime so…next time I'll make them myself."

"Next time?"

"Yeah, I figured ya wouldn't mind gettin' more of dese…"

Seto tentitavely took a bite of one of the sandwiches. It was peanut butter and jelly -not Seto's favorite, but he didn't dislike it either. "I think they're wonderful. I'm amazed that you put so much thought into all of this."

"Why 'cause 'dogs are stupid' or somethin'?"

"No, I just didn't think you'd do something like this for me even if it was for a game. You've surprised me."

Joey shot up onto his feet, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Didya hear that world? Da great Seto Kaiba-surprised! And I'm da one dat did it!" He shouted into the air. He fell over onto the blanket, a look of smug satisfaction on his face.

"Are you proud of yourself?"

"Yep," Joey's eyes were glued to the sky. "It's so pretty out here."

Seto looked up, audibly gasping at the beauty of it all. The dark blue sky was littered with spots of light. It was more stars than Seto had ever been able to see in the city before. When he looked back down he found Joey staring at him. Seto hadn't noticed it before but he was wearing a suit and his hair looked more well-brushed than usual. The suit nearly blended in with the sky, while his shock of blonde hair stood out against it-like a halo framing his tan face. He had to admit, the mutt cleaned up well.

Seto barely even noticed Joey move. The blonde was on the other side of the blanket one second, the next his head was on Seto's shoulder, and his hand was covering Seto's.

Seto's own heart betrayed him, beating more quickly at the blonde's close proximity. Seto wanted to say something to break the silence, but for once in his life

he was rendered speechless. His throat felt tight, like he was choking on the words he wanted to say.

"Are ya alright? Ya look pale?" Joey's concerned, amber eyes were so close to Seto's face. Seto wanted to...to do...something. He wasn't sure what it was he wanted to do, and that scared him. Seto had always been sure of himself, what was it about the mutt's lame attempts at seduction that made him so unsure?

"I-I'm fine." Seto forced himself to respond, not wanting to alert the other to his weakness. Weakness meant losing.

"Are ya sure? Ya look kinda sick...do ya need ta go home?"

"No. Like I said, I'm fine." Seto said-his voice stronger this time. The moment of weakness had passed, but it left a lasting feeling of fear. Seto had no idea what was wrong with him, and that absolutely terrified him. He held a hand to his own forehead, wondering if he might indeed be sick.

* * *

End of chapter 2! I hope you all enjoyed it!


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes:** I'm so proud of myself for writing this much, and it's all thanks to the encouragement from my amazing reviewers! You guys make my day!

* * *

Saturday morning, Joey leapt out of bed, feeling refreshed and well-rested. He took the stairs down two at a time, hoping to grab a cup of coffee before his father drank it all again.

He was delighted to find the pot still partially full of the delicious brown liquid. He poured a full cup, sipping happily when the kitchen clock caught his eye.

The mug slipped from Joey's grip. The digital clock read 10:30 in bold red. He was supposed to meet Tea at her house thirty minutes before to help prepare the sandwiches. He tore back up the stairs, grabbing blindly for any clothes in reach.

It wasn't until he was sprinting down the street that Joey noticed the messages on his phone. Tea had sent him two messages the first of which asking if he was awake. She had sent a second text ten minutes after telling Joey to meet her at the orphanage instead of coming to her house.

Joey breathed a sigh of relief. He had time to get to the orphanage, and if her texts were anything to go on, Tea didn't seem upset. He slowed from a sprint to a brisk walk.

When Joey got to the orphanage his eyes were drawn to a familiar black corvette parked out front. He inched closer to the vehicle, checking the license plate to see if it was indeed Kaiba's. His suspicions were confirmed by the piece of metal reading 'SKAIBA' displayed proudly on the rear.

He shook his head, wondering why the rich snob seemed to be everywhere recently.

"Joey! Get your butt in here!"

Joey let out an effeminate shriek, and whipped around, nearly falling in the process.

Tea was standing on the stairs to the orphanage, hands on her hips, and smirk upon her lips. "You're late."

"I know...I'm really sorry, Tea."

"It's okay, Joey. Just get in here before I drag you in myself."

Joey laughed. "Yes ma'am!"

Inside, the orphanage was a bit worse for wear. The place was in need of a good scrubbing, and the floorboards seemed to be coming up in a few places. There were little kids running about here and there, shouting and chasing one another across the creaking floor.

One kid ran up to Joey, wrapping her little arms around his legs. "You're it, mister!" She cheered, sprinting away as fast as her little legs could carry her.

Joey chuckled. "Ya betta run little ones or big, bad Joey's gonna get ya." He chased after any kid that got too close, discovering quite quickly that they were all much too fast for him to catch-especially the first little girl, who was sprinting circles around the others. None of them showed any signs of tiring out either. After ten minutes of Joey being 'it' without much hope of catching anyone, he fell over, exhaustion overtaking him.

Tea stood above him, a smug smile on her face. "You're giving up already?"

"Dey're too quick! I'm neva gonna catch any a dem." Joey wheezed, struggling to catch his breath.

A second blue-eyed brunette appeared over Joey. Was their something wrong with his vision? Was he seeing double?

"What are you two doing here?" He heard a deep voice ask.

Kaiba. Joey recalled seeing his car outside.

"I help out here sometimes. What are _you_ doing here?" Tea threw Kaiba's question back at him, quirking an eyebrow.

"I visit…"

Joey slowly pulled himself off the ground, struggling to regain balance. A little boy ran by, nearly knocking Joey back over in the process. The boy threw himself at Kaiba, a wide smile gracing his little face.

"Seto!" He cheered.

The corner of Kaiba's mouth twitched slightly. "Hello, little one. Have you and the others been good for Ms. Tyler?"

The boy nodded. "Uh-huh! We've been very good Ms. Tyler said so!"

"That's wonderful."

Joey watched in awe as Kaiba leaned over and picked up the boy. He laid the child across his shoulder, the way a parent might hold their child.

"Awwww. Cute." Tea whispered, voicing Joey's thoughts.

"What are you two looking at?" Kaiba spat, pushing past them with the boy still in his arms.

"I never would've guessed Kaiba had a soft spot for kids...then again we've seen how he is with Mokuba." Tea commented.

Joey merely nodded in response. His eyes were still glued to Kaiba-who was now holding two kids in his arms and a third on his back.

"Hey kids! Who wants sandwiches?" Tea shouted. She was greeted with a chorus of cheers, and a stampede of little people running towards her, hands outstretched for the goodies Tea had brought.

She had cut them into the shapes of each kids' favorite duel monster, and she carefully passed each one to the correct kid.

Joey was admiring the adorable scene, when he felt a tall presence looming over him.

"So she can make them into other monsters too...quite impressive." Kaiba commented.

"Where'd dose kids ya had go?"

"They chose sandwiches over me." Kaiba muttered, a hint of jealousy seeping into his voice.

Joey chuckled. "Yeah dat's kids for ya. Dey think with dere stomachs."

"Sounds like someone else I know." He smirked.

"Oh fuck off, Kaiba."

Kaiba smacked the back of Joey's head forcefully. "Language. Children are present."

Joey grinned sheepishly. "Ah right. Sorry."

Tea finished passing out the sandwiches, giving the last kid a firm pat on the head before joining the other two teens. "Hey Joey, it's about lunchtime. Do you want to go get something to eat?"

"Of course," Out of the corner of his eyes, Joey saw Kaiba leaving. "Hey wait a minute, moneybags! Ya wanna come with us?"

Tea gave Joey an odd look.

Kaiba froze. "With you two?"

"Yeah is dere somethin' wrong with dat?"

"What restaurant?"

"Burger world." Tea chimed in.

* * *

"I'll...think about it." Kaiba responded, disappearing out the front door with a dramatic flip of his coat.

"Since when do you two get along…" whispered Tea, her voice nearly inaudible.

Seto sat in very back of the restaurant with dark glasses covering his eyes. He didn't want anyone to see him in such a...quaint establishment. It wasn't that he thought himself too good for this kind of food, on the contrary sometimes he rather liked the greasy crap, but people of the business world would love to get their grubby hands on any information that cracked Kaiba's refined image.

Joey and Tea walked in talking loudly. They didn't seem to notice Seto sitting there in his booth, so he stood, waving lazily at them. Joey caught sight of him, waving back with much more enthusiasm than Seto had.

Joey slipped into the seat next to Seto, whilst Tea took the seat across from them.

"What's with the sunglasses?"

"If people knew I was here, it would cause a scene."

Seto felt the warmth of a hand on top of his. He glanced over at Joey, who had a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. He flashed Seto a sly smile. Seto noted that Tea seemed oblivious to the whole thing-from where she sat their hands were apparently obstructed from sight.

Seto was a bit surprised that the other would pull such a thing while one of his friends sat across from them. It was risky and daring-two things that Seto embraced.

"Joey."

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you go sit next to Tea?"

"Nah, I'm comfortable here."

Tea's eyes narrowed, scanning the two boys. "Okay seriously why have you two been so nice to one another," Her eyes settled on Seto. "And when have you _ever_ called him Joey?"

"I'm merely trying to be more 'friendly'. Isn't that what all of you wanted?"

"Like I _can_ believe that! You've never once tried to be friendly back to us-especially not to Joey! So why would you do it now? It just doesn't make any sense!" Tea rambled, becoming more and more worked up with each word that tumbled from her lips.

"C'mon Tea he's been tryin' pretty hard ta be nicer. Don't grill da guy."

She sighed, leaning back in her seat. "Okay...sorry. I'm just a little concerned."

"Thanks for carin' enough to worry about me, Tea. Even if ya got no reason ta it means a lot."

"Of course I'd worry about you, Joey. I'm your friend! I _am_ sorry for getting so worked up though…"

Seto scoffed. He couldn't fathom why the ridiculous girl was apologizing to Joey and not Seto. Hadn't he been the unfortunate recipient of her little outburst?

"It's okay, Tea. Like ya said ya were just concerned about me."

"Disgusting." Seto sneered, turning up his nose at the sickening amount of care the two friends had for one another.

Joey shoved his bony elbow into Seto's side. "Don't be such a sourpuss, Kaib!"

Seto rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore the other two in favor of browsing the menu. He found what he wanted to order quickly, dropping the menu back onto the table with a thud.

He tuned back into the conversation only to find that they were discussing Tea's relationship. He didn't care enough about that to eavesdrop.

"What about _your_ girlfriend, Joey? What's she like?" Tea asked, her voice full of playful teasing.

Seto glanced back over at the blonde, who was blushing a bit when he said. "She has gorgeous, blue eyes," Seto felt Joey's hand tighten on his briefly. "She has a dry sense a humor, but she's still really funny. She loves her family more dan anythin', and she _sucks_ at makin' friends. She can be a lil rude and cold, but I think she's just tryin' ta push people away so dey can't hurt her."

Seto shot him a weak glare. What gave Joey the right to talk about him like that?

Tea smiled softly. "Awww. You're blushing! You really like her, don't you?"

"Well I didn't like her much at first, but I'm warmin' up ta her," Joey shrugged awkwardly. "I haven't been with her for dat long, so I really don't know."

"Well you can talk to me if you figure it out!" Tea glanced down at her watch. Her mouth formed into a surprised 'o'. "Crap. I'm supposed to be home in fifteen minutes! I've gotta go!" She stood up, gathering her things and preparing to leave.

Tea's eyes caught Seto's. She gave him a meaningful look and jerked her head up in an almost imperceptible movement. She seemed to be motioning for him to look up. He did, finding a ceiling fan above the table. The middle of said fan was a reflective metal disk, which held in it the image of Seto and Joey from above, which meant that anyone who could see the reflection, could also see their intertwined hands. That girl had been able to see them holding hands-possibly the whole time.

Tea smiled mysteriously before she turned heel and left. Seto groaned inwardly. If friendship girl thought they were an item, it wouldn't be long before the rest of the dork squad thought that Seto would actually date a mongrel like Joey.

"She didn't even get any food!" Joey remarked, oblivious to the mock conversation that had just occurred.

"That _is_ odd." Seto admitted. He hadn't even thought of that before Joey pointed it out, but it did make very little sense for her to invite Joey out if she knew she wouldn't have the time to eat.

The waiter chose that moment to make his appearance, pad and pen in hand. He was a cheerful, stout man with prominent laugh lines etched into his face. He took their orders quickly before scurrying off again.

"I wonder what took him so long…"

"We did arrive in the middle of the lunch rush." Seto pointed out, gesturing to the sea of people seated in the establishment.

The food came in half the amount of time it had taken the waiter to approach them for their orders. The food was coated in a thick layer of grease, and secreting more of it every second. Joey tore in without a second thought, making a mess of his 'grease with a side of burger'. Seto picked at his own burger with a fork and a knife, cutting the thing into four pieces, and neatly eating a section with the fork.

"Are ya eatin' a burger with a fork?" Joey spoke with a mouthful of food, causing bits of partially chewed burger to decorate the table.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Seto scolded.

Joey rolled his eyes. "Okay, mom, but only if ya eat at least one piece a ya burger with ya hands."

"You want me to _touch_ this greasy mess?"

"Yeah? You're supposed ta!"

Seto scowled. He cautiously took one piece of his burger between his thumb and forefinger. He ate it quickly, tossing Joey an annoyed look as he chewed. "There, happy?"

"Very."

Seto dipped a napkin in his water, using it to rid his hand of the grease. He ate the rest of the meal his own way, glaring pointedly at Joey each time he used the fork.

When the ticket came, Seto snatched it from the table and stuck his credit card inside before Joey could get his hands on it.

"You're payin' for us both?"

"Of course."

"Dammit I shoulda ordered somethin' more expensive."

Seto snorted. "Rude."

"What? Ya got da money for it."

* * *

Outside the restaurant, Joey realized he would have to walk pretty far to get home. Tea's home was pretty close to his, but the orphanage was further, and Burger World was even further, meaning Joey was now about an hour away from his house.

Kaiba had already gone to his car, so it was too late to ask him for a ride.

Joey sighed. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and began his long trek home.

He hadn't walked fifteen feet when Kaiba's corvette rolled up next to him.

The passenger side window rolled down. "Get in." said Kaiba.

Joey failed to hide his excitement as he hurried into the passenger seat. "Thanks Kaiba."

Kaiba merely grunted in response, his eyes never leaving the road.

Without much else to do, Joey resigned himself to studying Kaiba's profile. He had long, dark lashes that framed his sparkling blue eyes perfectly. His dark hair hung loosely over said beautiful eyes. His nose was long and slender, and his pink, soft-looking lips were set in a hard line. To top it all off his skin was a smooth, flawless cream color.

A stray thought flashed through Joey's mind: What would it be like to kiss those lips? He shook his head, trying to quiet the unwelcome thought, but it persisted echoing and growing louder.

"We're here." Kaiba said, breaking Joey out of his reverie.

"Oh. Thanks for da ride," Joey stepped out of the car, baffled when Kaiba did the same. "What are ya doin'?"

"Walking you to your door." Kaiba responded, a smug smirk playing upon his lips.

As soon as Joey's foot hit the doorstep, a wave of nervous energy washed over him. His head was still telling him to kiss Kaiba, and standing on the tiny platform with him wasn't helping. He found himself staring into Kaiba's eyes. Neither of them moved or said anything for a moment. They just stood there, staring at each other.

In an attempt to end the awkward moment, and crush the urge to kiss the taller boy, Joey threw his arms around Kaiba's waist.

Kaiba made a strangled noise. "Why are you hugging me?"

"Uhh...Felt like I should."

Joey felt one of Kaiba's arms wrap around his back. It was half-assed, but at least Kaiba was reciprocating. It made Joey feel less awkward about the whole thing.

"Bye." Joey said, his voice muffled by Kaiba's chest. He pulled away from the hug reluctantly. When he looked up, he found Kaiba's eyes boring into him with an uncharacteristic softness.

"...bye." He said, smiling softly. That little smile started a fire in Joey's chest. His heart was racing so quickly he feared it might burst-all because Kaiba had given him one of his rare smiles.

A part of Joey wanted to be upset that he was falling for Kaiba's act, but another part wondered if that even was an act. He quickly shut down the latter part, reminding himself that Kaiba would do anything in the name of victory-even pretend that he was losing, so why? Why was he still falling for it when he knew that Kaiba was playing him?

As soon as Kaiba's car had pulled away, Joey felt a pair of large hands on his shoulders.

"Is dat ya boyfriend?" He heard his father ask.

"Oh my god, no!"

"Too bad, he's pretty attractive."

"Dad, Stop!"

His father chuckled. "I'm just teasin' ya! Lighten up, son!"

"How long were ya watchin' us?" Joey squeaked, embarrassed by the way his voice cracked.

"I saw da car pull up."

"Ya saw da _whole_ thing?" whined Joey, his shoulders drooping at the thought of his father witnessing that mess.

* * *

End of chapter 3! Hope you all enjoyed!


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** uGHHHH IM SO SORRY THAT IT'S TAKEN ME THIS LONG TO UPDATE! THERE'S HONESTLY NO EXCUSE IM JUST KINDA THE WORSE ANYWAY HERE'S CHAPTER 4

* * *

Seto slammed his fist into his bedroom door, cursing at the stinging sensation left on his knuckles. He sighed, sliding down the door frame. That stupid mutt wouldn't get out of his head. His dopey smile, his cheerful attitude, and worst of all his atrocious accent haunted Seto like bad memories. The worst part about it was being completely unable to stop his thoughts from devolving into an incoherent mess of...Joey.

"Fuck!" Seto stood up and shouted. His voice echoed through the empty house, bouncing off the walls and growing slowly quieter until it was nothing but a ghost of the exclamation it had once been. He sunk back down, burying his head in his hands.

Seto knew he was on the verge of losing, but he wasn't going to let it go that easily. He'd have to find some way to get ahead...or drag the blonde down to his level, and he'd have to do it all without allowing himself to fall any further than he already had. It wouldn't be easy, but Seto was quite the pro at distancing himself from others, so he'd manage it somehow.

Seto stood up and brushed himself off. He wanted to get on with the game as soon as possible.

He called up Joey, intending to invite him to go out later that evening, but when the other picked up the phone, Seto's mouth went dry.

"Hello Joey." Seto said, internally groaning at how strained and awkward the greeting sounded.

"Kaiba? Whadaya want?"

"I was wondering...if we could go somewhere this evening?" God that sounded way too stiff and awkward. It was like Seto was actually asking the mutt on a real date.

"Dis evenin'? We saw each otha yestaday!"

"I know. I'd like to speed this game up a bit. Otherwise we may not have a winner by the time the year is up." Even as he spoke, Seto's traitorous brain told him to admit defeat instead of drawing out his suffering.

"Oh yeah. We only got two months."

"Precisely why I think we should start spending time together every day."

"Every day!? Are ya sure dat's necessary?" Joey shouted through the receiver.

Seto winced. "I didn't realize you were still so averse to spending time with me."

"Ya aren't dat bad, and I don't hate hangin' out with ya, but I need time for my friends too ya know?"

"Tell them you're spending time with your 'girlfriend'."

"Dey know I'd neva ditch dem for some girl!"

Seto got an idea so terrible it made him feel physically sick. "What if...we both spent time with your friends. That way we'd see each other without you having to sacrifice time any time them."

To Seto's surprise, the other boy responded to his proposition with...laughter.

"You're dat desperate ta win?!" Joey said through peals of obnoxious laughter.

"Something like that."

"Yug and da others are gonna flip when ya show up! I mean, fuck dude, like Yug said da otha day, he's been tryin' ta get ya ta hang with us for years!"

"Believe me, I know that, and until today I was certain I was never even going to think about it...c'est la vie I guess."

"Well den, ya can meet me and da gang at Domino Bowlin' Alley tanight at 8, sound good?"

"Sounds fine, though...how late does the bowling alley close?"

"Midnight, and dat's how late we plan on stayin'." Joey proclaimed proudly.

Seto frowned. "You plan on bowling for four hours?"

"Ya'd be surprised how much time it can take, besides we aren't just bowlin', dere's also some arcade games in da alley."

Seto took a deep breath. He could still back out and refuse to spend time with the geek squad-or he could go and use the outing to secure his victory. Why was he even trying to weigh the options? He was definitely going to be there. He was appalled to find that he wanted to go, and he wasn't even sure if it was because of the game anymore.

"I'll be there, so don't even think about paying for yourself."

* * *

"Joey? Bro, why do you keep looking out the window," Tristan yelled into Joey's ear, his jagged nails digging into Joey's earlobe.

"Tristan, that hurts!" shouted Joey as he yanked Tristan forward by his arm.

"Sorry, but you were spacing out like crazy, dude," Tristan followed Joey's gaze to the doors. "Why do you keep looking outside? Isn't everyone here already? Why haven't you paid for shoes yet?"

"Actually...I invited someone else."

"Oh! Who did you invite, Joey?" A soft, British voice called out. Ryou and Yugi had just returned with concessions-both had their large, curious eyes fixated on Joey.

"Ta be honest I think it'll be kinda funny if I just keep dis one a secret." Joey shrugged. Most of his friends seemed confused by that, but Tea, oddly enough, shot him a knowing look, accompanied by a sly wink. He wasn't sure what to make of that, and before he could ask her about it, his attention was drawn elsewhere.

Kaiba was standing in the entrance way. He was wearing his signature white trench-coat. It struck Joey how typical-and unbelievably dorky-it was for Kaiba to show up somewhere so quaint and average dressed so dramatically. He walked towards them briskly, his piercing gaze fixated on Joey. A rosy blush raced up Joey's neck like wildfire. Realization hit like lightning, leaving Joey dazed and confused. The nervous feeling in his stomach, the way he'd wanted to kiss Kaiba before, every single time he'd felt his heart skip a beat in Kaiba's presence-wasn't that love-or dangerously close to it? He felt faint in the aftermath of this new revelation, and his knees gave way underneath him, yet he never hit the ground. In his daze he had failed to notice Kaiba's arrival, and now he was wrapped up in the arms of the very person who'd made him weak in the knees in the first place. Those hauntingly beautiful blue eyes were right in front of him, gazing into his soul with a rare look of concern, and Joey felt like he was falling again, but he knew he hadn't moved an inch.

"Thanks." Joey breathed.

Kaiba's eyes widened a fraction-as if he'd forgotten Joey was there. Once the initial shock of what had happened wore off, Kaiba's shocked expression fell into a smirk that Joey could only describe as...sultry. "It would appear that you've fallen for me." Kaiba whispered quietly enough that only Joey could hear.

"W-what?" Joey spluttered, fearing for a moment that Kaiba had somehow read his thoughts. It took him a second to realize that the brunette was trying to make a joke, but when he did, he couldn't help the relieved sigh that whistled past his lips.

Joey was yanked onto his feet and straight into Kaiba's chest. He found himself even closer to the taller boy than he'd been during their hug. Each breath he drew came with the heavy scent of sandalwood and vanilla. Joey could've stood there forever-just breathing in Kaiba's scent, but he remembered where he was, and who was watching.

Joey stumbled backwards, catching himself on a chair. His nervous gaze slid across his friends, gauging their reactions. He was met with three equally shocked expressions courtesy of Tristan, Yugi, and Ryou and stifled laughter from Tea.

"W-what's with dose l-looks? Ya neva seen anybody fall before?" Joey stuttered, fixing a weak glare upon his dumbfounded friends.

Yugi was the first to break out of his shocked state. "Sorry! Sorry! Uh nice catch, Kaiba."

Ryou blinked, seeming to regain his composure. He was at Joey's side in a flash, chocolate brown eyes full of worry. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm f-fine." Joey lied. He felt anything but fine. He felt light-headed and much too warm. It didn't help that he could still feel Kaiba's eyes on him.

"If you're all done, I'd like to get started." Tea announced, going towards the counter where shoes were rented. Yugi, Ryou, and Tristan followed her-the latter shooting Joey a questioning look over his shoulder.

"Come on." Kaiba said, reminding Joey of his presence. Joey felt a hand wrap around his wrist, pulling him in the same direction his friends had headed.

When they arrived, the rest of the group had already gotten their shoes and were preparing to pay.

Kaiba slapped a stack of bills on the counter. "Don't let any of these people pay for a single thing, got it?"

Was he serious!?

The petite, sharp-nosed teenager behind the counter nodded slowly, fumbling for a button labeled 'manager' behind her. An older, well-dressed man arrived within minutes of the button being pressed. His dark brown eyes landed on Kaiba, widening briefly before settling back into a professional poker face.

"It's a pleasure to have you in our establishment, Mr. Kaiba." The man said cooly, holding a pale, worn hand out. Kaiba-having probably done this countless times-took the manager's hand into his own, giving it a quick, firm shake. Joey hadn't even realized Kaiba was still holding his wrist until his hand was gone, leaving behind a ring of warmth.

Looking satisfied, the manager's gaze turned to his young employee. "So what seems to be the problem here?"

The young lady withered a bit under her employer's gaze. "N-no problem, sir. I just thought you should be aware of this situation." She gestured towards the cash neatly stacked on the counter.

"As I told her before, I don't want my acquaintances to pay for a single thing, so I'm paying for them in advance." Kaiba informed the older man.

The manager nodded. "Understood, . I'll make sure my employees are aware that none of you are to pay for anything. How many games will your party be playing today?"

Joey's jaw dropped. Kaiba had been serious-he was actually going to pay for the entire group like it was nothing.

"Um two games," Tea spoke up, shifting uncomfortably in place "You know you don't have to do this, right Kaiba? We're all capable of paying for ourselves…"

"I don't have to," Kaiba agreed. "but I'm going to anyway."

"C'mon Tea if the guy wants to do something generous for us, let him!" Tristan said.

"Of course you'd be on board with this...I bet you were planning on mooching off of me again anyway." muttered Tea.

Tristan snorted, but didn't say anything else, which suggested her assumption hadn't been completely false.

"You kids will be playing on lane twenty-five, have a nice time!" The manager said, smiling.

Joey and Kaiba stayed behind to pick up their shoes while the rest of the group went to set up their game. Surprisingly, they wore the same size shoe, which led Joey to wonder if he had big feet for his height or if Kaiba had small ones.

Joey opened his mouth, prepared to remark about Kaiba's sudden generosity, but all that came out was a whispered "You're crazy…"

"Crazy for _you_." Kaiba purred, half-lidded eyes sparkling with amusement.

Oh. Of all days for Kaiba to step up his game, why'd it have to be this one?

* * *

Seto shrugged off his coat, not wanting the heavy article of clothing to get in the way of his victory. He was determined to finally beat Yugi Moto at something-anything, and what better than bowling? His rival had a small, underdeveloped body, so it was unlikely for him to be much good at something like that. Perhaps one of the other dorks would even be more of a challenge than the King of Games in this respect?

Seto quickly got into the zone. He bowled a strike with ease and grace-round after round until the game had reached its end, but upon checking the final score he found that he wasn't the only one who'd bowled a perfect game. He and Yugi had tied, followed by Tea, Ryou, Joey, and Tristan-the latter two's scores were laughably low, not even reaching triple digits.

At the start of the second and final game, Seto was even more determined to beat the tiny duelist this time-he'd just have to make him trip up somehow. He did everything he could to mess up Yugi's perfect score, but to no avail. After nine rounds they were once again tied with perfect games.

Seto stepped up to the lane, blue and white marbled bowling ball in hand, and prepared to throw his final shot. His focus was shattered by Tea's shrill voice calling out to him.

"Wait Kaiba! Before you bowl I need you to come look at this!"

Seto was annoyed by her interruption, but curious about what she could possibly have to show him. She pulled a photograph from her Polaroid camera. It began to develop, slowly revealing a picture of Joey. In said picture he was blushing furiously, and biting down on his bottom lip. It was cute.

"When I took this picture, he was staring at your ass," Tea informed him "You know he's usually pretty good at bowling too, but tonight he's been a bit...distracted."

Seto nodded awkwardly, unsure what to think of the new information. It could mean that Seto was pulling ahead in their game, then again the way Seto's heart skipped a beat at the thought of Joey having feelings for him implied otherwise. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of all that nonsense. He had a game to win, it was not the time to be thinking about such frivolous things.

Seto went back to the lane, once again prepared for his final throw. As the ball left his hand, a vision of the blonde who'd been plaguing his thoughts popped into his head, causing him to lose control of the ball. It slipped from his grip and rolled right into the gutter...in a different lane. From behind him Seto heard an uproar of cheering from the geek squad, all congratulating Yugi on his victory.

A hand rested on Seto's shoulder. "What happened out dere?" Joey asked, sounding concerned.

Seto whipped around, fully prepared to unleash his wrath upon the blonde for indirectly causing his loss, but to the surprise of everyone around him, he began to laugh. This laugh wasn't haughty or proud like his typical laughs. It was more genuine, and he found himself unable to stop. After all the whole situation was so ridiculous. He hadn't thrown a gutterball in years, and all it took to change that was one little distraction-a cute blonde. The very same cute blonde that Seto used to loathe. It was all so...hilarious.

"Dere's dat adorable laugh again, but uh...you're freakin' me out a little. Aren't ya usually upset when ya lose?"

"Not this time…" Seto admitted, surprised and delighted that it was true-he didn't feel upset at all.

"Holy shit. Who are ya and what have ya done with da real Kaiba?"

* * *

Joey splashed cold water on his face in an attempt to put out the fire in his heart. Kaiba was really getting to him, and no matter how many times he reminded himself that these feelings he had could only end badly, they persisted, growing stronger by the minute. He grabbed a handful of paper towels, wringing out his dripping bangs. He'd have to hurry back to his friends or they'd get worried and send someone to check on him.

Joey went straight for the arcade, where he found his friends all absorbed in different games-except for Kaiba, who was leaning against the back wall with a bored expression.

"Yo Kaiba, wanna play some air hockey?"

Kaiba pushed himself off the wall, tossing a smug smirk in Joey's direction. "Only if you want to lose."

Joey grinned. "Tch, we'll see bout dat."

The game started out fairly tame, both players only half-trying as they hit the puck across the table, but it escalated quickly as they got into the swing of things. Joey knew he had no chance of winning when Kaiba began firing the puck at dangerous speeds straight into Joey's goal. It was terrifying enough that Joey didn't even try to block them. A final point was scored, causing the game over alarm to blare over the machine.

"I win." Kaiba huffed, his bangs sticking to his head with sweat.

Joey's heart skipped a beat at the sight. "Oh no. He's hot." He muttered. He felt sick with want-he wanted to tell Kaiba that he might love him, he wanted to kiss that stupid smirk off his lips, and most of all he just wanted Kaiba, but he knew he couldn't-shouldn't want any of those things. Not because of the game-he really couldn't find it in him to care much about that anymore-but because of rejection, heartbreak, ridicule. What would Kaiba say if he knew? He'd turn him down, and then he'd never let Joey forget it.

"Joey? Why do you look like you're about to cry?"

The softness in Kaiba's voice jolted Joey from his thoughts. "Wha? What're ya talkin' about? I'm not gonna cry ova some dumb game!" He laughed-a little too forcefully. It sounded as fake as it felt.

Kaiba quirked an eyebrow, giving Joey a look that said he really didn't buy it. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Not really." Joey admitted, letting out a defeated sigh.

Kaiba was at his side in an instant, worry written all over his face. "Do you not feel well? You look pale."

"Uh... not feelin' good." Nailed it.

Kaiba held a cold hand to Joey's forehead. Their eyes crashed together like a tidal wave crashing onto an unsuspecting beach. Joey's hairs stood on end at the electricity in Kaiba's gaze.

"I don't think you have a fever." Kaiba whispered, close enough that Joey could feel Kaiba's breath on his face.

Joey could've sworn Kaiba was stealing glances at his lips. It took every ounce of Joey's willpower to stop himself from grabbing the other man by his brunette locks and crashing their lips together. He didn't seem to be the only one having that issue. Kaiba leaned in, closing the gap between them until they were nose to nose, breath intermingling. Kaiba's eyes were still boring into him with a fervency previously unknown to those blue depths. Joey's heart fluttered in anticipation. What he didn't expect, was for Kaiba to pull away.

"Sorry." Kaiba mumbled, trying and failing to cover his blushing cheeks.

Joey felt himself torn between being disappointed over the almost kiss and gushing over how adorable Kaiba was in that moment. "C-cute." He chose the latter inadvertently, unable to stop the word from tumbling out of his mouth.

"What?" Kaiba asked, his voice mangled by embarrassment and the hand he held in front of his face.

"You're cute when you're embarrassed." Joey elaborated, silently congratulating himself for not stuttering.

Kaiba's eyes went adorably wide, the red color staining his cheeks darkening and spreading to his ears. "I'm not embarrassed."

Joey couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. For the first time, he felt hope that Kaiba might return his feelings, and if he did...then maybe-maybe their stupid game would end with two winners.

"Riiiight." Joey drawled.

"Look what just happened didn't mean anything and we will _not_ speak of it." Kaiba growled, failing to intimidate Joey in the slightest.

"Whateva ya say, Kaiba, but I'm pretty sure dat meant dat I'm winnin' right now." Joey teased, chuckling at the expression of dawning horror on Kaiba's face.

"It doesn't matter who's winning now, I'll be the one to walk away victorious!" Kaiba spat.

Joey was taken aback that Kaiba would even admit that he was behind. Did he somehow not realize what he'd said? He'd basically admitted that-to some degree- he had feelings for Joey.

Fuck it. Joey wasn't going to let this dumbass game continue for a second longer. "Kaiba I-" His ballsy confession was interrupted by a bony elbow digging into his side.

"Hey Joey take a look at this!" Tea squealed, accidentally digging her elbow further into Joey's side. She held out a small, developing picture taken with the Polaroid camera hanging around her neck. After a few seconds an image depicting Joey and Kaiba from when they'd been about to kiss appeared.

"Guhhhhhh?" Was all Joey could manage in response.

Tea smirked. "I'll give it to you for five bucks!"

* * *

It may have taken me forever, but this chapter is the most disgustingly adorable thing I've ever written? And I'm kinda proud of it?

ill probably have to edit this and fix some stuff later, but I really wanted to go ahead and post it.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: **Well folks we're almost there! I'm so excited! I've never actually finished writing a fic before, so it's pretty awesome that I'm this close! The next chapter is very likely to be the last-unless I decide to do some kind of epilogue? I probably won't? Anyway thank you all so much for reading my fic, and reviewers thank you so much for saying such nice things-it really means a lot to me!

* * *

Three weeks after the bowling alley, and Joey still hadn't regained his nerve. He tried so many times to tell Kaiba how he felt, but to no avail. He always chickened out in the end. It was so hard to say what he wanted to when Kaiba was looking at him with those _eyes-_ not to mention the lingering fear that all the _signs_ Kaiba had feelings for him were just convincing acting. Like the young man driven to madness by the old man's haunting eye, Joey feared that eventually his rapidly beating heart would give away his secrets before his words did.

Joey sighed, throwing on his school uniform and quickly running a brush through his untameable hair. He was ready for school, and just in time too. If he'd taken any longer, he wouldn't have had time to get there.

Outside his home, Joey found Kaiba sitting cross-legged against a heavily graffitied light post. He'd been walking Joey to school for about a week and a half by this point, and if Joey was being honest with himself-he loved it. His walk to school was short-such a small detail, so it warmed his heart to know that Kaiba put that much thought into trying to woo him...even if he was doing it because of the game.

Kaiba sighed. "You're going to make us late someday if you keep waiting until the last second like this."

Joey snorted. "Like ya'd care, you're absent half da time anyway."

"Yes but those are planned. I don't particularly like straying from my schedule."

"Don't like strayin' from ya schedule huh," Joey smiled deviously. "here's an idea how bout we don't go ta school today."

"Absolutely not. We are not skipping. It might not affect me much, but you certainly can't afford to."

"Dat's not true! You're just makin' excuses ta hide da fact dat you're just scared of breakin' da rules."

"Are you being serious?"

"Prove me wrong. Skip school." Joey smirked.

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Don't think I can't see what you're doing. You're not subtle."

"Awww come ooooon Kaaaaibaaa." Joey drawled, pouting.

"Ugh. Fine, but if your grades suffer because of it don't come crying to me."

"Yay! Come on," Joey grabbed a fistful of Kaiba's sleeve, pulling the brunette along behind him. "I know exactly where ta go."

"Mm. You'd know more about skipping than I do." Kaiba replied.

Joey took that to mean 'lead the way', so he did just that, pulling the abnormally quiet CEO down several alleyways and shady backstreets before reaching the decrepit building that was to be their destination.

"Joey...what the fuck is this?" Kaiba asked without looking away from the suspicious reddish-brown stain he was inspecting.

"It's just an arcade. I know it looks bad, but a friend a mine runs it. He's actually got some nice games in dere too, if it weren't for da crappy location maybe he'd have betta business!"

"'Crappy' is an understatement. This place looks downright shady."

"Yeah it used ta be, but my guy, Naoki, has got friends in high positions in da gangs around here. All da punks are too scared a his friends ta make trouble, so it's actually one a da safest places ya can be."

Kaiba frowned. "That doesn't actually sound reassuring at all. Now I'm concerned about what kind of person this Naoki guy is."

"Naoki? Naoki is one a da nicest guys I know! Despite his unsavory taste in friends, I don't think he's done a single illegal in his life!"

"Wow. You have incredibly low standards for what a good person is if your only requirement is for them to never have done anything illegal."

"Whateva! You'll see Kaiba!" Joey stormed through the double doors of the arcade, calming down immensely at the sight of his good friend Naoki leaning casually against the counter.

"Joey," Naoki greeted, lifting a hand in a flimsy wave. "I'd say it's nice to see you, but if you're here it means you're skipping school again, so I'll say I'm disappointed in you instead."

"Aw come on Naoki! I'm only doin' it dis time so I can teach a friend a mine 'bout da joys of skippin'. He's pretty straight-laced so I thought it'd be good for him."

Joey heard the door creak open behind him, signaling the entrance of said friend. Naoki's eyes widened a fraction. The cigarette between his lips shifted, almost falling. "Damn. I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd see Seto Kaiba in my store today... I thought you hated this guy?"

Kaiba quirked an eyebrow. "He talks about me?"

"Yeah he used to always come in ranting about how much he hates "dat stupid rich bastard and his over-inflated ego"." Naoki said, imitating Joey's voice and accent perfectly. It had freaked Joey out a little the first time he'd seen Naoki use his incredible imitation abilities, but now he just found it incredibly amusing. It did, however, seem to impress Kaiba a little.

"How the hell did you do that?" Kaiba asked with a hint of awe. His rarely seen curious side seemed to take over as he stared at Naoki with wide, fascinated eyes.

"Eh it's nothing really. I started learning how to do it so I could mess with my friends y'know? Like a party trick. Turns out I'm pretty good at it."

"I imagine you could cause some serious chaos with that."

"Ohhh yeah, you bet," Naoki smiled in amusement as he seemed to recall several times he'd used his talent for vocal imitation to mess with people. "Anyway I'm guessing you two didn't come in just to chat?"

"Nope, we're gonna need about a hundred tokens." Joey started to take two twenties out of his wallet to pay for said tokens, but Kaiba beat him to the punch, slapping four twenties onto the table.

"A hundred each." Kaiba said, shooting Joey a smirk.

Naoki whistled. "Guess there are perks to knowing that stupid rich bastard after all, eh Joey?"

"Maybe a few." Joey admitted, taking two plastic cups from the rack on the counter and using them to hold the stacks of tokens that Naoki continued to pile on the countertop.

Once he had two cups of a hundred tokens each, Joey took off with one of them-more than ready to play his favorite racing game.

* * *

Seto picked up his cup of coins, chuckling at the giddy smile plastered upon Joey's face as he sat down at one of the games.

"Hold on a sec . I need to ask you something," Naoki called out, leaning his head into his open palm. A few strands of his long, unkempt hair fell across his emerald eyes and pooled on the counter in a dark, greasy heap. "How long have you been in love with him?"

Seto was taken aback, they'd been there for barely five minutes and this guy was asking him such personal questions? "What are you talking about?"

"No need to get defensive, dude. No need to lie to me either. I'm pretty good at reading body language and stuff so I tend to pick up on these things." Naoki explained, looking slightly amused at Seto's scandalized expression.

"Don't you dare say anything to Joey."

"Ha I won't. It'd be better to let him hear it from you," Naoki craned his neck, checking to make sure Joey was still engrossed in his game. He leaned in, cupping a hand around his mouth. "Between you and me, I almost thought you guys were already a couple when you came in. There's definitely some mutual feelings going on here."

Seto allowed himself to feel a bit of hope at that. After all if Naoki had read him so easily, it was pretty unlikely he'd read someone as expressive as Joey incorrectly. "You're certain?"

"The kid's not exactly difficult to read. His eyes lit up like a Christmas tree as soon as you walked in."

"Thank you." Seto said seriously. He looked back at the blonde, catching him mid-laugh. He was struck by how ethereal Joey looked sitting there with his head thrown back. A beam of sunlight from the single window had settled on him, making his hair glow just like the brilliant smile on his face. Seto couldn't understand how someone so bright could possibly feel anything for him. Joey was like-Not the sun, the sun was too small to be compared to someone so important. Joey was like every star in the universe compiling into one, stunning entity- not perfect, but beautiful in it's messy imperfections. Seto almost felt guilty for wanting that blinding brightness to himself. If Joey was like a billions of stars, Seto was like the black hole that would selfishly snuff out those stars. Seto blinked. If he felt that strongly for the cheerful blonde, then why hadn't he ended this game yet? Was winning seriously that important to him or was it that he felt he wasn't good enough for Joey? The latter seemed more likely given his previous line of thought, but the former could've had plenty to do with it as well.

"Duuude. You've got it seriously bad," Naoki commented. "If you keep staring at him like that, your eyes are going to dry out. Seriously, I don't think you've blinked!"

"Kaiba get ya lanky ass over here and race me!" Joey shouted, interrupting Seto before he could even open his mouth to retort.

"I'll be there in a second, darling!" Naoki answered in a perfect imitation of Seto's voice. "Now go get your man!" Naoki cheered in his regular voice, shoving Seto away from the counter.

Seto sunk into the cheap plastic chair mounted on the racing machine next to where Joey sat in an identical machine.

"Didn't I tell ya once that I'd beat ya ass if ya called me darling?" Joey asked, a light blush decorating his tanned cheeks.

"That was your friend. He really is...something."

Joey chuckled. "Yeah Naoki's a bit of a nutcase, but da guy's got a heart of gold."

Seto snorted. "No kidding."

"Ya ready ta get creamed, Kaiba?"

"You do realize that I have games like this in my house, right? It's pretty much impossible for you to be better than me."

"Nothin's impossible! 'Specially not for Joey Wheeler!"

"HA! Prepare to be proven wrong." Seto shoved three tokens into the machine, selecting a car with the KaibaCorp logo on it. He did so without even glancing at the cars stats. He wouldn't normally do something so careless, but he was confident that he could win and it'd be oh so sweet to do so with his logo emblazoned upon the back of the car. That way he could rub the win in Joey's face without having to say a word.

Five minutes later and the finish line was in sight. Seto had secured first place early on in the game and kept it ever since, so it was beyond surprising to see a plain, white car streak by right as his front tires hit the finish line.

Seto couldn't believe his eyes. The screen flashed "2nd place" in gold lettering.

"Fuck yeah! Told ya I could do it!"

Seto couldn't muster a response or even shut his hanging jaw. He'd been beaten by _Joey Wheeler_ of all people. A part of him wanted to rip into the blonde with snide remarks- to attempt to defend his shredded pride, but a larger part of him was impressed and even a little proud.

"Uh Kaiba...are ya okay?" Joey poked Seto's cheek cautiously.

Seto swallowed spit and the remnants of his pride, shooting Joey the best smile he could summon. "G-good job."

The unfamiliar words burned his mouth, and yet he felt lighter somehow once they had left him. It went against everything he'd been taught to admit defeat-or god forbid-congratulate the winner, but Joey's very existence too went against the things Seto had been taught about the world, so what's to keep him from trying to be a good sport-especially if it would illicit a reaction as amusing as the shock on the blonde's face after those two little words.

"There ya go again, surprisin' and scarin' the shit outta me," Joey muttered. "First ya aren't upset about bowlin' then ya go and tell me I did good for beatin' ya at dis...seriously are ya sick right now?"

"Actually it's the opposite. I believe I'm getting better."

Joey's teasing expression fell into a soft smile at that. He wiped at a tear threatening to escape. "Come 'ere ya big doof." He nearly knocked the wind out of Seto with the amount of force behind his leap into Seto's arms.

Seto smiled despite himself. "Why are you hugging me this time?"

"Because! I'm proud of ya! A few months ago ya wouldn't a admitted ya had a problem-despite how obvious it was dat ya did."

"That's...true. I can be stubborn." Seto admitted, pulling Joey further into his chest. He couldn't confess to Joey. As he'd thought earlier, Joey was much too good for him, but he could allow himself this small luxury. One little hug.

"Ya smell good." Joey murmured, stiffening a moment later as if realizing what he'd said.

Seto chuckled. "Thanks?"

Joey lept backwards, putting a considerable distance between himself and Seto. "Don't laugh at me! I can't believe I actually said dat…"

"You're so...adorable." Seto breathed. He didn't mind the extra sincerity that had crept into his voice unbidden.

Joey blushed, averting his eyes. "Why ya gotta say shit ya don't mean like that?"

Seto was confused only a moment before he remembered the game. Did Joey seriously think he was _that_ good at acting? "I can't recall ever saying something I don't mean to you."

Joey's eyes went impossibly wide, his mouth parting in surprise. "Kaiba…"

"Don't look at me like that you dork. I bought us way too many tokens. We should stop wasting our time and start getting rid of them."

* * *

"You two make quite the pair." Naoki said, smirking slyly at Joey.

Joey shot him a weak glare. "Dere's nothin' goin' on between us."

"Are you kidding me? You send the most obvious signals I've ever seen. We're talking rainbow hot air balloon with the words "I'm in love with Seto Kaiba" stitched into it kind of obvious." Naoki gestured with his hands as he spoke.

"Sh! Don't say that so loud." Joey reprimanded, looking over his shoulder to make certain Kaiba was still wrapped up in the stupid shooting game he was determined to get a high score on. He was.

"Sorrrrry," Naoki drawled, rolling his eyes. "Look, Joey. I think you're being a bit ridiculous for no good reason. Why don't you just tell him like you feel? Like a normal person would."

Joey groaned. "I can't! I've tried…besides I can't be sure he feels da same way… unless ya tell me?"

Naoki shook his head. "Absolutely not. You need to solve your own problems."

"Aww come on. Please? Dis is pretty damn important ta me, Naoki-can't ya help a guy out just dis once?" Joey pleaded, dropping to his knees and giving Naoki the most convincing pout he could muster. A shadow fell over him. Joey looked up for it's source, finding a pair of bemused blue eyes looking back at him.

"Why are you on the floor?" Kaiba asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Joey squeaked, struggling to his feet. "No reason! Didya finish off da rest of da coins?"

"Yeah. Sadly, I was only able to secure the second place spot on the leaderboard." Kaiba said sourly.

"Oh dat sucks you'll get it next time-let's go." Joey said, pulling his brunette companion out of the arcade abruptly.

As the door slowly shut behind them, Kaiba was staring at Joey with a bewildered expression. "Why are you suddenly in such a hurry to go?"

"I just need ta show ya somethin'. Come on." Joey went back through the front doors, motioning for Kaiba to follow. Just as Joey had expected the arcade was no longer an arcade, but a regular abandoned building complete with years of dust and cobwebs. Naoki was nowhere to be seen. This had happened every time Joey had tried to re-enter the arcade right after leaving it.

"What the hell," Kaiba gaped open-mouthed at the change. "What happened?"

"Dunno. I've had too much weird shit in my life ta go around questionin' stuff so I've neva asked."

"How much do you actually know about Naoki?"

"I know dat da things he says are true, but...accordin' ta a guy I was in a gang with, Naoki died a few weeks before I met him."

"That's ridiculous." Kaiba huffed. Despite Kaiba's attempt at his usual skepticism, Joey could see the faintest hint of disbelief and shock in Kaiba's eyes.

It was kind of amazing how good Joey had gotten at reading the subtle emotions in Kaiba's expressions.

* * *

That's the end of this chapter! It shouldn't take me to long to get the next one out, because I'm so excited about it!


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm so sorry this took so long! I honestly don't really have an excuse I'm just terrible about procrastinating! I also ran into a bit of trouble with writing this last chapter, because I wanted the last chapter of my first completed long fic to be perfect!**

 **Without further ado,**

* * *

Joey read the words again and again-not quite quite believing his eyes.

"Ya are cordially invited ta a party on New Year's Eve at da Kaiba mansion." He read the invitation aloud.

Why would Kaiba invite him to a party that takes place on the night the game ends? Was it some last ditch effort to win? If only he knew that he'd won already.

Joey sighed. The party was a week away. The end of this stupid game was a week away, and he still hadn't told Kaiba how he felt. That was fine by Joey, he'd rather wait until after the game to do anything. He felt it'd be less humiliating that way somehow. At least he wouldn't have to lose and listen to the gloating that was sure to follow any defeat at Kaiba's hands.

Joey's phone vibrated silently in his pocket.

"Yo." He answered.

He was expecting to hear one of his friends voices, instead he was met by a sharp intake of breath before Kaiba's voice came tumbling through the device. "Hello, did you receive the invitation?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"Good. Please be sure to come. It's important."

"Important? What kind of shit are ya tryin' ta pull?"

"I'm not trying to 'pull' anything. Just trust me. You need to be there."

Joey sighed. "I'll be dere."

He was not looking forward to finding out just what Kaiba had planned. What if Kaiba humiliated him in front of everyone? It wouldn't be the first time.

"Perfect. Oh and I'll be busy with work until then, so I won't have any free time for outings."

"You're dat busy at work right now?"

"I've gotten a bit behind over the past few months. It's hard to find time for work when I'm with you so often."

"Oh. Sorry."

Kaiba? Behind at work? That was new. Joey supposed that meant Kaiba took the game a lot more seriously than he'd thought or-as Joey desperately hoped-Kaiba had feelings for him as well. That wasn't a new thought-he'd thought the same thing a few times, but with Kaiba it was nearly impossible to tell. As someone who rarely ever showed his emotions and often hid his real ones under a carefully crafted mask, Kaiba was a difficult person to understand. Joey liked to think he could see through Kaiba's little façades, but sometimes he wasn't sure. Then again...that thing Kaiba had said about how he didn't say things he didn't mean-that gave Joey hope.

"Don't be. It's my own fault, really." Kaiba said, reminding Joey that he was in the middle of a phone call.

"Wait a second-isn't it against da rules for us ta spend the whole week not goin' anywhere."

"Yes, but we went out yesterday and my party is this Saturday, so we're fine."

"Okay den see ya dere, I guess."

"Bye." Kaiba hung up abruptly.

What a great holiday this was turning out to be. There's no better Christmas present than finding out you won't see the person you're madly in love with for a week.

Joey glanced at the clock. There was still twenty minutes before he had to leave to meet his friends. Of all days for him to get ready early, it had to be one where Kaiba wouldn't be there to see it.

Joey sauntered down the stairs at a leisurely-after all there was no hurry today-pace. He had time to prepare breakfast today, so for once he actually ate before leaving his house.!His friends would probably have a heart attack when he didn't beg them for food first thing. While he was eating something reflective caught his eye. Upon further inspection it was a shiny red ribbon wrapped around a little box wrapped in green paper. There was a note placed underneath the box. It read: "Hey son, sorry I couldn't be here this morning. I got called in a work (on Christmas of all days! What are they thinking!?) Anyway here's your Christmas present. Feel free to open it. I won't be home until late tonight, and I don't want to make you wait. -Dad."

Joey smiled and tore into the wrapper-unsure what to expect. His father hadn't bothered to get him a gift in years, so it was hard to say if he'd even know what Joey liked. What he found inside were two duel monsters booster packs and thirty dollars. Joey tore into the booster packs-surprised to find several cards that worked well with his deck. The money would be useful for getting a Christmas present for Kaiba, which he would've gotten earlier if it weren't so hard to figure out what to get for someone who owned pretty much every store in the city.

Joey went back up to his room and found the gift he'd gotten his dad. He took the poorly wrapped box back downstairs and placed it where he'd found the gift from his father.

The day was odd without Kaiba. No morning phone call or texts, no weird romantic tension, no flirty teasing, no riding in Kaiba's limo, and one less person when Joey went out with his friends. Joey had grown used to Kaiba's presence in his life, so the day felt a bit grey and empty without him.

Joey's friends seemed to notice the dip in his mood, and they had apparently caught on to the fact that Kaiba's absence was the cause, because Ryou and Yugi had taken it upon themselves to tell every funny or dorky story-of which there were many-they knew about Kaiba in his absence. Joey appreciated the effort even though he'd been present for most of the things they were describing.

"Look Joey stop moping, your boyfriend's only been gone for a day goddammit." Tea whispered.

"What," Joey squeaked. He regained control of his volume, pulling his voice into a soft whisper. "He is not my boyfriend."

Tea blinked. "B-but your 'girlfriend' and the sandwiches and the bowling alley?

"Uh da situation is complicated but we aren't datin'."

"Then. Why. The. Fuck. Haven't. You. Asked. Him. Out. Yet?" Tea put emphasis on each word like they were threats, and maybe they were. Tea scared Joey sometimes.

"Uhh complicated?"

Tea groaned. "What's complicated? You two are obviously enamored with each other."

"We-really?"

"Yes! Oh my god, you've gotta be thicker than molasses to miss the way Kaiba looks at you. Honestly, I knew Tristan was this dense, but you?" She shook her head.

"The way he looks at me?"

"Like you put the stars in the sky."

"He...when I'm not lookin' he does dat?

"Yes. All the time. He's uncharacteristically expressive around you. He gets this dopey look on his face and sighs like a girl in a trashy romance novel."

Joey couldn't help but smile. That was exactly what he'd needed to hear. After all there was no reason for Kaiba to continue pretending to like Joey, when Joey wasn't looking, which could only mean one thing. There was no pretending-no acting involved. Kaiba liked him back-pure and simple. Kaiba liked _him_. Why was beyond Joey, but he was too elated by the revelation to care about reasons.

Joey wanted-no needed desperately to talk to Kaiba, but he knew that thanks to Kaiba's busy work schedule he'd have to wait until the party. Joey's stomach churned at the thought of the party. He could hardly wait.

"Who's ready to exchange gifts?" Yugi asked, practically glowing with excitement.

* * *

Seto redid his hair for the sixth or seventh time that night. He wanted to look as perfect as possible on what was likely the most important night of his life. His guests would be arriving any second now, but Seto really only cared about one of them. Joey Wheeler was to be there, and tonight Seto was going to profess to Joey his-he could only call it love. What else could be so intense and yet subtly powerful?

Seto groaned in remembrance of his last conversation with the boy who'd captured his affections. Seto hadn't meant to make that stupid phone call-he'd been stressed out beyond belief about the week he had ahead of him, and somehow he'd ended up calling the blonde. Perhaps he'd just wanted to hear Joey's voice one last time before the week apart from him? Seto would never actually know what he'd been thinking when he hit that call button-if there even had been thought involved.

Seto heard a flurry of feet and the sound of Mokuba's voice greeting what sounded like a rather large group of people. He looked himself over one last time, and semi-satisfied with his appearance turned away from the bathroom mirror.

The ballroom was crawling with formally dressed socialites and businessmen. Seto scoured the crowd, using his height to peer over the heads of the masses, yet he didn't see a messy blonde mass of hair anywhere.

"Oh hey Joey!" Mokuba exclaimed from his station by the door.

Seto whipped around. Joey stood in the doorway, looking like he'd put much more effort into his appearance than usual. His hair had been pinned back so it was no longer in his face, and he wore a red vest over a black button up. He appeared to be wearing a good bit of makeup, including a thin line of dark eyeliner framing his honey eyes. Seto openly gaped-unable to will himself towards the blonde.

Seto's eyes met Joey's. The blonde smiled brightly, giving a little wave.

Seto gulped, forcing his feet forwards. "Hello, Joey."

"Uh heya, Kaiba."

Seto glanced at his watch. It was half an hour to midnight.

He took a deep breath. Better now than later. "Come with me."

He led Joey through the crowd, out of the ballroom, and down a long hallway. He took him through a glass door and out into the night air.

The balcony was white with miniature columns holding up the handrail and ivy thickly woven around said columns. The moon and stars were the only light source of light-just enough for Seto to see the awe in Joey's eyes.

"Joey. I-" Seto paused, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. "Had someone told me about this night a few months ago I'd have laughed in their face and called them delusional. The thought never would have crossed my mind that it was possible for me to-to," Seto's gaze slid to the floor. It was impossible to say what he needed to with Joey's questioning eyes on him. "To fall in love with you. Joey, I love you. I know you're way too good for me, and I know I'm not always the most pleasant person, but-damn it- I can't help it if-"

"Seto." Joey interrupted.

Hearing his first name come from Joey's lips broke the spell that kept Seto's eyes glued to the floor. He lifted his head slowly. Joey's expression was serious, but his eyes watered, threatening to let loose a torrent of tears.

"If ya seriously think dat I'm too good for ya, den you're a lot stupider dan I thought. Neither of us have always been great or even good people, but we have learned and can learn to be betta...and maybe it'll be easier if we learn togetha," He crossed the balcony, throwing both arms around Seto's waist and burying his face in Seto's clothes. "I love ya too, Seto."

Seto could hear voices counting down in the distance. In thirty seconds the year would be over. It was now or next year. "Joey."

When the blonde looked up, Seto leaned down, capturing Joey's lips just as he heard the cacophony of voices reach zero. Seto's lips moved against Joey's with a fervency-a need he couldn't convey through words, and Joey returned it with equal enthusiasm, threading his fingers through Seto's hair. Seto could barely hear the pop of fireworks overhead over the sound of his own garbled and ecstatic thoughts.

It was awkward. It was new. Neither of them seemed to know quite what they were doing, but when the kiss was over they were both smiling.

"Happy New Years." Joey said, smiling up at Seto.

Seto chuckled. "A Happy New Years, indeed."

After a few minutes of silence, Joey spoke. "So...does dis mean we're datin'?"

"If that's what you want." Seto responded slowly, only realizing then that he'd forgotten to ask Joey out.

Joey shot him a look. "Of course that's what I want!"

"Good. It's what I want as well."

All went silent, Seto having said the things he'd wanted to, and he assumed Joey as well.

Seto shivered. He hadn't realized how cold it was when they'd first arrived out there. Perhaps it was because he'd had other things on his mind, but now that there was a considerable lull in the conversation, it was becoming harder to stand the chilled breeze.

"Would you like to go inside?"

Joey nodded. "I'm freezin' my ass off out here."

Inside was warm and lively. The ballroom was full of couples and friends swaying together to some slow song, and at the front of the room Mokuba stood next to the speakers, having the time of his life being the party's DJ. Mokuba's face lit up when he saw Seto and Joey return.

' _Did it go well?'_ Mokuba mouthed.

Seto nodded, earning a victory dance from his nosy younger brother.

' _Dance with him!'_ urged Mokuba.

"Joey, would you like to dance?"

The blonde flushed, looking away in embarrassment. "I...only know how to salsa."

"I could teach you how to slow dance." Seto offered.

"Are ya sure? Tea's tried before, but she said I was totally hopeless."

"You can't be that bad. All you have to do is sway-how could you possibly mess that up?"

Seto was quickly proved wrong. Joey had an innate inability to go slowly, and consistently attempted to dance in a manner much more lively than the music.

"Mm. It seems Tea was correct, you are a bit hopeless. Maybe slow dancing isn't for everyone." Seto waved at Mokuba in an attempt to catch his brother's attention.

When Mokuba finally looked up Seto mouthed. ' _Switch to salsa.'_

Mokuba seemed confused by that, but he changed the music anyway.

"This is familiar." Seto muttered, feeling a wave of deja vu hit him. They'd come full circle since the first night of the game, and now they'd dance the same dance in the same room-the only difference between then and now was the crowd and the nature of Seto and Joey's relationship.

"Yeah, yeah it is." agreed Joey.

Seto noticed a few whispers and questioning eyes raking over him and Joey. Of course the nosy lot would want to know the identity of their enigmatic host's dancing partner-Seto expected that, but he quite frankly didn't give a shit what they thought or what was said. All that mattered to him was the look on Joey's face.

Joey's honey brown eyes were dancing with delight, and the glittering smile stretched across his face revealed a pair of endearing dimples. Seto knew he'd never tire of studying that face.

As the song came to a close, so did Seto and Joey's dance. Joey leaned into Seto, his head resting on Seto's chest.

"Dis whole night's been so surreal…" Joey muttered into Seto's coat.

"I've felt that way as well. I can't remember ever having a day this...perfect," Seto wrapped his arms around Joey's waist, pulling the shorter boy closer. "I've never considered myself a lucky person, but tonight may have changed that."

"I thought ya didn't believe in luck?"

"It's hard to say that when you're here." Seto muttered, planting a brisk kiss to the top of Joey's head.

* * *

As the party began to wind down Joey began to get antsy. He didn't want to leave, but he didn't want to be the last one there either. Would it be weird if he stayed? Would it be weirder if he tried to leave?

"Mm. The after party guests should be here soon." Seto muttered.

"Da what?"

"After party. You're one of the after party guests as well by the way."

"Oh." Joey responded simply. Inside he was elated to know that he wouldn't need to leave, because he'd been expected to stay from the start.

Joey shoved his hands into his pockets. He was confused for a moment when his fingers brushed against a small box in each of his pockets, but then it struck him that'd he'd been forgotten all about Seto's Christmas present.

"Hey, Seto. I didn't see ya on my Christmas, so I wasn't able ta give ya dis…" Joey pulled the nearly identical boxes from his pockets. He held out the one wrapped in red to Seto.

Seto raised an eyebrow. "You got me a Christmas present?"

"Yes! Now open it already!"

Seto did just that, pulling the wrapping off with ease, and flipping open the small Jewelry case that came out of the bright paper. Inside lay a pendant with a red-eyes black dragon curled around a red gem with the letter 'J'.

Joey tore into the wrapping of the second box and opened the case to reveal a matching pendant that had a blue-eyes white dragon curled in the other direction and a blue gem with an 'S on it.

"Joey...these are incredible." Seto whispered, running his fingers over the

"Look," Joey brought the two necklaces together. Once side by side, the dragon's bodies formed a heart. "Dey make a heart when ya put 'em togetha."

"That's adorable," Seto said, slipping his necklace over his head. His eyes drifted downwards, a light blush coloring his cheeks. "I have a gift for you as well, though it's unfortunately not as thoughtful as yours."

"Ya got me somethin'?"

Seto rolled his eyes. "Of course I did. Mokuba!"

"Right! I got it!" Mokuba called back. He reached under the DJ table and pulled out an oblong box. He sauntered over, brandishing the box like it's contents were worth a million dollars, and knowing Seto it could've been. Mokuba set the box on his brother's lap in an overly dramatic fashion.

Mokuba lingered, an expectant smile on his face. "Go on give it to him!"

"Mokuba please…"

"Oh, right. I'll give you two some privacy." He winked and dashed away. Joey was left alone with his boyfriend.

Seto silently dropped the box into Joey's lap.

Joey knew what it was the moment he got a closer look at it. The box was just the right size for a duel disk, which one Joey had no way of knowing. There were about a dozen different versions of the duel disk, but Joey had never been able to afford a new one, so he'd been stuck with the version one duel disk since it came out.

Opening the box revealed a huge surprise-it was the duel disk that KaibaCorp had announced would be released in early February, and here Joey was holding his very own on the first day of January.

Joey blanched. "No way!"

Seto smiled. "You like it?"

"Yes! I've wanted ta get a new duel disk for-well since version two came out!"

"I'm glad you-" Seto started. A loud knock on the door cut him off mid-sentence. "Sounds like the special guests have arrived." He got up to answer the door, gesturing at Joey for him to follow.

The door swung open to reveal Joey's friends, smiling and loaded down with boxes and bags of varying shapes and sizes.

"What's with all the stuff? I didn't tell you people to bring anything." Seto asked.

"These are Christmas presents for you and Mokuba!" Yugi exclaimed.

"We would've given them to you both sooner if we'd been able to." Tea added.

"You all...got _me_ gifts? I hate to say I haven't gotten any of you a gift…" Seto said, shuffling awkwardly.

"Yes you have," Yugi said. "Even if you don't really consider us friends...you've given us friendship, and that's something worth more than any gift!"

"Friends," A slow smile spread over Seto's face. "I suppose that _is_ what I'd call all of you."

A hush fell over the group. They all wore matching expressions of shocked glee- except for Yugi who looked absolutely delighted. It didn't strike Joey as odd that Yugi wouldn't be surprised, he'd always said that Seto would come around eventually.

Yugi was the first to move, throwing his small frame at Seto. The rest of the crew followed suit, surrounding Seto and trapping him in a stifling group hug.

"Joey-help please." Seto pleaded, looking terribly uncomfortable with the large amount of physical contact.

"Okay, okay everyone step away from," Joey paused. He _could_ shock them into letting go, but that would mean telling them...oh fuck it. " _My boyfriend!"_

That did it. Everyone took a step back, training their shocked gazes on Joey.

Tea shot Joey a congratulatory smile and a thumbs up. Tristan's head whipped wildly back and forth between Joey and Seto. He looked ready to pass out.

Yugi's shock faded quickly, and was soon replaced by a teary-eyed grin. "That's so cute! I'm so happy for you guys!"

"I have to agree with Yugi, though this is certainly unexpected…" Ryou added.

Joey chuckled. "Tell me about it!"

Looking around the room at all the familiar faces ,Joey couldn't help but feel overwhelmed and also thrilled by the beautiful, shining future, full of love and friendship that he saw reflected in their eyes. It was in Seto's eyes that he saw that future most clearly.

Joey's lips were on Seto's before he could even stop to think about how many people were watching. The warm feeling in Joey's heart that had been there since Seto's confession grew, and he smiled because he knew it would only grow more with each moment he spent with Seto and his friends that he loved so dearly.

* * *

 **Well there it is! The end of my first completed long fic! Even though it took me a ridiculous amount of time I'm so proud of myself for sticking with it until the end!**

 **Thank you all my lovely readers and sweet reviewers for reading my story! All the kind words really inspired me to continue, and continue to fill me with joy!**

 **Au revoir!**


End file.
